Destruction of palaeontological sites

Fossil remains may be lost through natural erosion, through destruction of sites by development, or through inappropriate collection procedures, including those for commercial purposes.

If conservation were narrowly defined to mean non-interference with sites then there would be no possibility of collecting specimens. Numerous fossils reach museums through the work of professional collectors acting for commercial reasons. Some palaeontologists consider that only they are adequately qualified to explore fossil sites and document them appropriately.